Read Between the Lies

by Lori Bryant-Woolridge

  “There were nuts in the cookies,” Felicia commented softly.

  “When they examined the package, listed among the ingredients in small print were pecan shavings,” Gabrielle revealed as she began to cry harder.

  “But you honestly thought they were just chocolate-chip cookies,” Felicia probed.

  “Yes. I’d eaten dozens of those same cookies myself—there were no chunks of nuts in them. But had I been able to read the package, I’d have known about the pecans and Tommy wouldn’t have—” Gabrielle sobbed, unable to continue.

  “Oh, dear,” Bea remarked, her ears sadly hearing what Gabrielle was unable to say.

  “What happened afterward?” Felicia asked.

  Gabrielle took a few minutes to collect herself before continuing. “It wasn’t enough that I’d made such a terrible, terrible mistake; I lied about it. I told everyone—the paramedics, Tommy’s mom, my mom—that I had no idea when or where he got the cookies. I told them that one minute he was out on the swing set with his friends and the next thing I knew he was passed out on the lawn. So everybody believed that his death was an accident—one I had nothing to do with. Even his mom didn’t blame me. She gave me the Wizard of Oz snow globe. It belonged to Tommy, and I’ve kept it to this day so I would never forget what I did.” Felicia, Gabrielle, and Beatrice sat crying, silently mourning Tommy Montebello.

  “Gabrielle, it was an accident,” Bea reassured her. “It was a common mistake with a truly unfortunate outcome. Foods in this country are terribly mislabeled. Most literate people don’t read the ingredient lists. They simply take the packaging at face value.”

  “There’s one thing I don’t understand,” Felicia said. “Why didn’t your mom insist that you learn to read after such a terrible incident?”

  “Remember, I lied to her, too. All she knew was that one of the other kids shared his cookies with Tommy. She had no idea that I’d given him permission to eat those cookies. I wanted to tell her and insist that she put me in some kind of reading program, but I was too ashamed. I didn’t want her to be disappointed in me. We moved a few months after that anyway.

  “So, that’s everything. All my secrets are out in the open,” Gabrielle remarked as she pulled herself together. “The question is: What do we do with them now?”

  “Do you think Stephanie could be bluffing?” Bea asked, not really believing it.

  “I don’t think so,” Felicia said, pulling out the press release. “She’s invited the media to a press conference at which you will introduce her as your authorized biographer. I’m expecting an avalanche of phone calls when I get back to the office.”

  “Maybe you should just let her write the book,” Bea suggested, following up on Stephanie’s demand. “Then at least you’d have some kind of control over the contents.”

  “I may have no other choice. Ooh,” Gabrielle said, putting her hands to her stomach and shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

  “Are you okay?” Felicia asked.

  “I think so. I’ve been having these periodic twinges. Probably gas.”

  “Gabrielle, you can’t let this upset you. You just have to forget all this and put it behind you.”

  “Bea, there’s no more room. All these secrets and tragedies that I’ve been putting behind me now have my nose pushed to the wall. There’s nowhere else to go.”

  “It sounds like you’ve made a decision.”

  “Actually, I’ve made two. I want to stop hiding and get on with my life—like doing the screen test. I’ve decided to try my luck at acting. Jack wanted me to do it, and deep down I want to as well. I’ve been acting all my life. How could I not be good at it?”

  “You said you made two decisions,” Bea said.

  “I have. Felicia, we’re going to have that press conference. I’m tired of running. It’s time for the world to know the truth.”

  “You’re going to let Stephanie write the book?” Felicia asked.

  “Yes. I hate the idea of giving in to her, but, as Bea pointed out, at least I’ll have some control.”

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” Beatrice asked. She was uncomfortable with the idea of Stephanie’s getting her way, but at the same time relieved that Stephanie would be pacified.

  “I don’t have any choice, Bea. I can’t take the risk that the same thing that happened to Tommy could happen to my baby. Once the truth comes out, I can finally learn how to read without having to sneak around, afraid of being discovered.”

  “Stephanie really has us all right where she wants us, doesn’t she?” Bea remarked bitterly.

  “Looks that way. I definitely hate the idea of giving in to Stephanie, but if Gabrielle feels comfortable with her decision, then let’s get everything out in the open and deal with it,” Felicia remarked, thinking not only of Gabrielle’s situation but of her own. “I do think we should take control of the press conference. Stephanie doesn’t have to call the shots on everything,” she suggested.

  “I think I’m in labor,” an alarmed Gabrielle announced. “My water just broke.”

  “It’s too soon. You have another month and a half.”

  “I know. What’s wrong? Why is the baby coming now?” Gabrielle cried.

  “Don’t panic. You’re going to be okay,” Felicia said, trying to keep everyone calm. “I’ll call an ambulance and her doctor. Bea, why don’t you throw a few things in a bag. And you, Mommy, sit there and stay calm.”

  Within ten minutes Gabrielle was on her way to Lenox Hill Hospital. Bea accompanied her in the ambulance, while Felicia went back to the office to prepare for the onslaught of calls she was going to receive once the press learned that Gabrielle was having her baby.

  Felicia called her colleagues in the hospital’s public-relations department to clarify the procedures for press inquiries, before being transferred to the nurses’ station on Gabrielle’s floor. The head nurse was able to verify that Gabrielle had been checked in and that her condition was still being evaluated.

  As she expected, Felicia had a pile of messages waiting for her. They were mainly from the media Stephanie had invited this morning, wanting more details. Felicia, hesitant to explain why the event might be delayed, decided to return the calls later, once she had more information on Gabrielle’s condition.

  “Felicia, Lexis Richards is on line two,” her secretary interrupted.

  Felicia took a deep breath before picking up the handset. “Hi,” she said.

  “Whoa, you sound hassled.”

  “It’s been a rough morning.”

  “I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time, but I have to talk with you about Sepia Films,” Lexis said, his tone all business.

  “What about it?”

  “It’s a go. We have a few more details to hammer out with MarMa, but before the end of the year we’ll be ready to make an announcement.”

  “That’s great. I’m happy for you,” Felicia said with genuine delight.

  “Thanks. The question is: Are you in?”

  “I don’t know. I guess we really need to sit down and have a serious discussion.”

  “I heard that. We have a lot of business to rap about. I’ve waited long enough, Felicia. Time has run out. Either you know what you want or you don’t.”

  “It’s not that simple.”

  “No, baby, it ain’t that complicated. You’ve got to decide. It’s him or me. And if it’s me, we go public with our relationship. We tell the world that you’re more than just my publicist, you’re my woman. If you can’t, well, then I guess that’s it.”

  “Can we get together and discuss this?”

  “Yeah, we can talk, but no more hiding behind Trace or anybody else.”

  “I’ll meet you at my place tonight at ten,” she said and hung up the phone. Mired in the swamp of deception, Felicia felt as if she were going nowhere. Guilt had plagued her marriage and had all but destroyed her relationship with Lexis. In the end, she had no idea who, if anybody, she’d wind up with, but at least she’d be rid o
f this remorse and her life would be her own again. Before she could change her mind, Felicia dialed Trace’s office. She asked Trace to meet her at his apartment for an early dinner. She had finally reached the bridge, and it was time to cross.

  “Stephanie’s office looks like a ghost town,” Lois said, sticking her head into Felicia’s office. “Don’t tell me you finally gave that girl the boot.”

  “You got it.”

  “What did she try this time?”

  “Not much, just a little blackmail. She knows about Trace and Lexis. Lois, you didn’t …”

  “Don’t even go there, girl. It wasn’t me. Who else did you tell?”

  “Nobody. Only you.”

  “Then the only way Stephanie could have found out is if she overheard us the night we talked in your office. What does she want so bad that she has to resort to blackmail?”

  “She wants to be Gabrielle’s authorized biographer.”

  “I hope Gabrielle said no.”

  “She wanted to, but Stephanie has something on her, too.”

  “Damn, this is getting ugly. What does she have on Gabrielle? I mean, despite what the gossip rags report, she seems like your ultimate Girl Scout.”

  “This information stays in this room until the press conference,” Felicia said, closing her door. “Gabrielle is illiterate.”

  “What?”

  “I know, I couldn’t believe it either.”

  “That explains her reluctance to jump into acting.”

  “And other things. I don’t understand how a person grows up not knowing how to read. It must feel like you’re living in a foreign country.”

  “I guess. But I’m missing something here. Why does Stephanie need to blackmail you in order to write Gabrielle’s biography?”

  “I’m the one holding the press conference for the big announcement.”

  “Oh, that little evil hussy really does have this all thought out, doesn’t she? When’s the press conference?”

  “The release she’s already sent out says the end of this week, but now I’m not sure. Gabrielle went into labor this morning.”

  “I thought she had another five or six weeks to go.”

  “The baby said otherwise.”

  “Have you told Stephanie things are going to be delayed?”

  “I’m afraid to. She threatened to use her media contacts with the tabloids if we didn’t toe the line.”

  “That might explain this,” Lois said, handing Felicia a pink phone-message slip. “I found this on the floor in her office.”

  “This is from that reporter Visa Lee of Star Diary.”

  “Look again. This is to Visa Lee. Now, what do you think Stephanie is doing with a phone message to that reporter?”

  “Unless she is that reporter,” Felicia said.

  “Looks like Stephanie has a few secrets of her own.”

  “You know, all this makes sense. All those little leaks and erroneous stories on Gabrielle and our other clients in Star Diary. Though this message doesn’t actually prove that Stephanie is Visa Lee.”

  “Well then, we’ll have to find a way to prove it. Let’s grab dinner and come up with a plan,” Lois suggested.

  “I can’t. I’m going over to talk to Trace. I’m going to tell him everything.”

  “What about Lexis?”

  “He knows about the pregnancy already.”

  “At this late date, why even tell Trace?”

  “Because maybe if I’d been honest with him in the first place, I could have saved my marriage.” Felicia finally said aloud the thoughts she’d been recently thinking.

  “Felicia, are you considering going back to him?”

  “Trace isn’t the same selfish, egotistical man he used to be. The incident with the police made him take a really hard look at himself. He’s come out of this a much more considerate and thoughtful man. He’s a lot like the man I fell in love with years ago.”

  “And what about Lexis? I thought you loved him.”

  “I do, but Lexis and I don’t share the history Trace and I do.”

  “Yeah, but history has a way of repeating itself. Has it ever occurred to you that he’s being just as controlling and manipulative as he’s always been? Has it crossed your mind that he’s using this police thing to hold on to you?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “If Trace is who you want, then that’s your decision to make, but really think about what you’re doing,” Lois advised, ending the discussion. She felt strongly that Felicia was headed in the wrong direction, but she knew it was up to her friend to find out for herself. “Getting back to Stephanie, there is another benefit to your coming clean.”

  “Please tell me. I need all the incentive I can get.”

  “Have you considered the fact that if both Lexis and Trace know the truth, Stephanie no longer has anything to hold over your head? Same thing for Gabrielle. If she’s decided to air all her dirty linen in a book, fine, but who says Stephanie has to write it? Why can’t she get somebody legit to write it? If Gabrielle thinks that Stephanie is going to play fair at this late date, she’s dreaming.”

  “Lois, you’re absolutely right. Who says we have to go along with Stephanie just because she says so?”

  “You don’t.”

  “I have to go. I need to talk to Beatrice. There might just be a way to beat Ms. Bancroft at her own game,” Felicia announced.

  50

  Felicia walked into the brownstone to find both dinner and Trace waiting for her. “This is some spread,” she commented. He’d taken the time to stop and pick up dinner on his way from the office. Not only did he have all her favorite dishes, but in the center of the table was a vase full of peonies, her favorite flower—another sign of the thoughtful changes that had taken place in Trace since his arrest.

  “I’m glad you called,” he told her, kissing her lightly on the forehead as he helped her into her chair. “It gives me the chance not only to spend some time with you, but also to discuss something that’s been on my mind for a while now.”

  “We do have a lot to talk about,” Felicia commented.

  “We could flip a coin and see who goes first.”

  “You go,” she suggested, curious to know his thoughts.

  “I guess I should begin by telling you how much I appreciate everything you’ve done for me lately. I feel like I’ve been through hell, and the only reason I got back was because you were here to lean on,” Trace said. Felicia smiled in response and patted his hand. “I realize now that without you in my life, I can’t be whole.”

  “What are you saying, Trace?”

  “I’m saying that I’m tired of being in this state of limbo. I want us to be together again, sharing our lives as a married couple.”

  “I’ve been thinking a lot about us also,” Felicia admitted. “I’ve been wondering if maybe I didn’t give our marriage the chance it deserves.”

  “Does that mean you want us to be together, too?” Trace asked, hope tingeing his voice.

  “The thought has crossed my mind lately, but before we even discuss the possibility, I think that we have to be honest about our past,” Felicia said, determined to tell the truth.

  “I agree,” Trace replied. “If we’re going to try again, we have to do it with a clean slate. I know that I could be a controlling bastard sometimes, but believe me, it was only because I was afraid of losing you.”

  “You knew that I loved you.”

  “I knew you said you loved me, but I didn’t believe it. In my mind, if you really loved me you’d want to be home, raising our family, and taking care of your man, not building a business. You once asked me if I was jealous of WJ and A. Even though I wouldn’t admit it to you then, the answer is yes. I was jealous because, as time went by, it became your life. I felt like I didn’t count anymore. That’s why I grew to hate the company.”

  “Then why did you want to make it an issue in our divorce?”

  “I didn’t want your business, I wanted
you. I thought if it came down to a choice between me and your company, there might be a chance you’d choose me. I also figured if you did choose the business, my owning half of it would be one way to stay in your life.”

  “Isn’t it amazing how the fear of losing love can kill it just the same?” Felicia offered softly.

  “I’ve done some really stupid things in the name of love—like trying to get you pregnant on that cruise. I’m ashamed to admit that I punched holes in your diaphragm,” Trace revealed.

  “You did what?” Felicia asked, not believing what she’d heard.

  “I wanted us to have a child, and you kept putting it off. I knew that once you were pregnant, you’d see that you really did want to start a family.”

  “Trace Gordon, that was the most despicable, hurtful, unforgivable thing you have ever done,” Felicia said furiously. The thought of all the pain and heartache his selfish trick had caused forced Felicia into immediate decisiveness. They were through. Trace was never going to change, and she was never going to be happy in this relationship.

  “Why are you getting so upset? It didn’t work.”

  “You’re wrong. I did get pregnant.”

  “That’s not possible. I’d have known,” Trace insisted.

  “The pregnancy was short-lived.”

  “You had a miscarriage?” Trace asked, unwilling to entertain any other ideas.

  “No, I ended the pregnancy on my own.”

  “How could you? You knew how much I wanted a baby.”

  “Obviously not. Not once did I think you’d stoop to lying and cheating to get your way. Do you have any idea what you put me through? I beat myself up every day for being so careless. And the guilt over aborting this child nearly drove me crazy. I felt like such a monster for cheating you out of fatherhood.”

  “You’re damn right you cheated me. You cheated both of us,” Trace said angrily.

  The two sat at the table in silence, each disturbed and disappointed in the other. The air of reconciliation had evaporated, replaced by a chilly fog of angry confusion. Trace could feel his chances slipping away, but he refused to stop trying.